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Keep Out, Claudia!
Keep Out, Claudia! is the 56th book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. Back Cover Summary The Baby-sitters love getting new clients. So when the Lowells contact the club everyone is thrilled. For Mary Anne, sitting for the Lowells turns out to be a snap. The kids are adorable and obedient. But when Claudia meets the family, Mrs. Lowell will barely look her in the eye. And the kids are downright rude! The next time Mrs. Lowell calls the BSC, she requests another sitters — anyone but Claudia. Claudia has no idea what she did wrong. But the BSC won't rest until they find out! Summary The Lowells are the current new clients of the BSC. They consist of Caitlin (8), Mackenzie (6), and Celeste (3). The Lowells were first babysat by Mary Anne on Friday. She described the Lowells as good as gold, since they were obedient and very helpful. She also said they were curious, and big talkers like Karen Brewer, Kristy’s stepsister, However, not everyone was lucky to have that same experience that Mary Anne did. When Claudia babysat for the Lowells they treated her like dirt. At first, Claudia thought that was because her hair was parted strangely or her mascara had smudged. Or maybe she arrived too early after all. The kids ignored Claudia’s instructions, tried to get away with things, ruined their appetite for dinner, and threatened Claudia by saying they were going to tell their mum she was a mean sitter. Jessi didn’t have much luck either, when Mrs Lowell answered the doorbell she looked shocked and stared at her for six seconds before slamming the door in her face. Mrs Lowell said she didn’t need a sitter after all, and forget to tell her. So Jessi, didn‘t even enter the house in which she was meant to baby-sit in, she ran crying to Mallory’s house. Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter Dear Reader, The idea for Keep Out, Claudia! was suggested to me by Olivia Ford, the daughter of a publishing colleague. Olivia’s idea was for a book about prejudice and racism that centered around Claudia and the Kishis. Racism had been a topic in a number of Jessi’s books, and Olivia felt that it would be realistic if one of the other characters in the series faced this problem, too. The members of the Baby-sitters Club are a diverse group of kids. They come from different kinds of families, and from a variety of backgrounds. Each has her own interests and problems, yet the girls get along well as a group, and appreciate each other’s differences. The kids they sit for are diverse, too. Their families come from various ethnic and religious backgrounds, and like the members of the BSC, the kids come from many different family situations. In addition, the baby-sitters take care of Rosie Wilder, who is highly gifted; Shea Rodowsky, who has learning disabilities; Matt Braddock, who is profoundly hearing impaired; and Susan Felder, who has autism. As you can see, a recurring theme in the Baby-sitters Club books is that of tolerance and acceptance, rather than exclusion. It’s something the characters feel strongly about, and so do I. Category:The Baby-Sitters Club series Category:Claudia books Category:Books